The Jerry Sandusky Scandal

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Jerry Sandusky was convicted in June of sexually abusing boys he met through his children’s charity.

The arrest of the former Penn State assistant football coach, 68, caused a rippling fallout that engulfed the university, Pennsylvania politics, and started a national conversation about child sex abuse and college athletics.

It led to the firing of iconic coach Joe Paterno, the university president, and the dismantling of his children’s charity, The Second Mile.

Sandusky has become one of the most notorious and well-known serial pedophiles in the United States.

Sara Ganim first broke the news that Sandusky was under investigation by a grand jury in 2011. From that point, Ganim and The Patriot-News were leaders in covering the scandal. The Patriot has been nationally recognized for its coverage, and recognized with several awards, including the 2012 Pulitzer Prize in local reporting.

Ganim has said publicly that the most rewarding thing to come of this is the increased awareness on the topic of sex abuse, and the recognition that reporting is still a very healthy and important part of American freedom.

Donations to Sandusky’s charity immediately dropped, and months later, decided it would have to close its doors. Now, federal investigators are looking into its finances, its leaders, and Sandusky’s access.

While Centre County prosecutor Ray Gricar has been declared dead, questions about his disappearance only seem to multiply as he was tied to the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Gricar was the district attorney in 1998 who decided there wasn’t enough evidence to charge Sandusky based on the statements of two boys who said they were touched during a shower on campus.

Penn State’s own internal investigation, conducted by former FBI director Louis Freeh, has polarized the Penn State community. It led to the removal of Paterno’s statue, and the NCAA decision to erase more than 100 wins from the record books, impose a fine, take away 4 years of bowl games and limit scholarships.

Trial is set to begin in January for Curley, the former athletic director, and Schutlz, the former vice president for business and finance. Both are charged with never reporting an incident brought to their attention by Mike McQueary in 2001, then lying about what they knew when they testified before the Sandusky grand jury. They face seven years in prison, if convicted.

McQueary was part of just one case against Sandusky at trial — the case of Victim 2 — but he was the initial link to Penn State, to Joe Paterno, and to the officials charged with lying to a grand jury. So, immediately every one of his words became a focus. He was put on administrative leave, and his contract was not renewed for this coming season.

Matt was adopted by Jerry and Dottie Sandusky as an adult after being a foster parent in their home for a few years. After standing by his adoptive parents for many years, he recently said publicly that he too was a victim of Sandusky. His biological mother might have been one of the earliest to raise suspicions. She complained about behavioral changes in her son as far back as the early 1990s, while she was fighting for more visitation.